Divine Office Office of Readings

Feb 03, Invitatory for Tuesday of the 4th week of Ordinary Time

Lord, open my lips. — And my mouth will proclaim your praise. Ant. Come, let us worship the Lord, our mighty God. Psalm 100 Cry out with joy to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness. Come before him, singing for joy. Ant. Come, let us worship the Lord, our mighty God. Know that he, the Lord, is God. He made us, we belong to him, we are his people, the sheep of his flock. Ant. Come, let us worship the Lord, our mighty God. Go within his gates, giving thanks. Enter his courts with songs of praise. Give thanks to him and bless his name. Ant. Come, let us worship the Lord, our mighty God. Indeed, how good is the Lord, eternal his merciful love. He is faithful from age to age. Ant. Come, let us worship the Lord, our mighty God. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: — as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Ant. Come, let us worship the Lord, our mighty God.

Feb 03, Office of Readings for Tuesday of the 4th week of Ordinary Time

Ribbon Placement: Liturgy of the Hours Vol. III: Ordinary: 651 Proper of Seasons: 149 Psalter: Tuesday, Week IV, 1165 Office of Readings for Tuesday in Ordinary Time God, come to my assistance. — Lord, make haste to help me. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: — as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia. HYMN O God, our help in ages past, Our hope for years to come, Our shelter from the stormy blast, And our eternal home. Beneath the shadow of Your throne Your saints have dwelt secure; Sufficient is your arm alone, And our defense is sure. Before the hills in order stood, Or earth received her frame, From everlasting you are God, To endless years the same. A thousand ages in your sight Are like an evening gone; Short as the watch that ends the night Before the rising sun. Time, like an ever rolling stream, Bears all our lives away; They fly, forgotten, as a dream Dies at the opening day. O God, our help in ages past, Our hope for years to come, Be now our guard while troubles last, And our eternal home. 𝄞"O God, Our Help in Ages Past" by Melinda Kirigin-Voss [https://divineoffice.org/melinda-kirigin-voss/], Vince Clark • Musical Score [https://divineoffice.org/wp-content/uploads/O-God-Our-Help-in-Ages-Past.pdf] • Title: O God, Our Help in Ages Past; Text: Based on Psalm 90; Isaac Watts, 1674-1748, Psalms of David..., 1719, alt.; Tune: ST. ANNE, CM; later form of melody (rhythm adapted), attr. to William Croft, 1678-1727, A Supplement to the New Version of Psalms, 1708; Artist: Melinda Kirigin-Voss, Vince Clark; Copyright 2016 Surgeworks Inc. • Albums that contain this Hymn: Divine Office PSALMODY Ant. 1 Lord, let my cry come to you; do not hide your face from me. Psalm 102 The longings and prayers of an exile. God comforts us in all our troubles. (2 Cor. 1:4) I O Lord, listen to my prayer and let my cry for help reach you. Do not hide your face from me in the day of my distress. Turn your ear towards me and answer me quickly when I call. For my days are vanishing like smoke, my bones burn away like a fire. My heart is withered like the grass. I forget to eat my bread. I cry with all my strength and my skin clings to my bones. I have become like a pelican in the wilderness like an owl in desolate places. I lie awake and I moan like some lonely bird on a roof. All day long my foes revile me; those who hate me use my name as a curse. The bread I eat is ashes; my drink is mingled with tears. In your anger, Lord, and your fury you have lifted me up and thrown me down. My days are like a passing shadow and I wither away like the grass. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: — as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Ant. Lord, let my cry come to you; do not hide your face from me. Ant. 2 Be attentive, Lord, to the prayer of the helpless. II But you, O Lord, will endure for ever and your name from age to age. You will arise and have mercy on Zion: for this is the time to have mercy, (yes, the time appointed has come) for your servants love her very stones, are moved with pity even for her dust. The nations shall fear the name of the Lord and all the earth’s kings your glory, when the Lord shall build up Zion again and appear in all his glory. Then he will turn to the prayers of the helpless; he will not despise their prayers. Let this be written for ages to come that a people yet unborn may praise the Lord; for the Lord leaned down from his sanctuary on high. He looked down from heaven to the earth that he might hear the groans of the prisoners and free those condemned to die. The sons of your servants shall dwell untroubled and their race shall endure before you that the name of the Lord may be proclaimed in Zion and his praise in the heart of Jerusalem, when peoples and kingdoms are gathered together to pay their homage to the Lord. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: — as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Ant. Be attentive, Lord, to the prayer of the helpless. Ant. 3 You, O Lord, established the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. III He has broken my strength in mid-course; he has shortened the days of my life. I say to God: “Do not take me away before my days are complete, you, whose days last from age to age. Long ago you founded the earth and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish but you will remain. They will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like clothes that are changed. But you neither change, nor have an end.” Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: — as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Psalm-prayer Lord, you live in the hearts of your saints, and so have built up Zion. May you always show your greatness through their good works. Ant. You, O Lord, established the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. Sacred Silence (indicated by a bell) A moment to reflect and receive in our hearts the full resonance of the voice of the Holy Spirit and to unite our personal prayer more closely with the word of God and public voice of the Church. Listen, my people, to my teaching. — Give ear to the words I speak. READINGS First reading From the first letter to the Thessalonians 4:1-18 The holy life and the hope of the resurrection My brothers, we beg and exhort you in the Lord Jesus that, even as you learned from us how to conduct yourselves in a way pleasing to God—which you are indeed doing—so you must learn to make still greater progress. You know the instructions we gave you in the Lord Jesus. It is God’s will that you grow in holiness: that you abstain from immorality, each of you guarding his member in sanctity and honor, not in passionate desire as do the Gentiles who know not God; and that each refrain from overreaching or cheating his brother in the matter at hand; for the Lord is an avenger of all such things, as we once indicated to you by our testimony. God has not called us to immorality but to holiness; hence, whoever rejects these instructions rejects not man, but God who sends his Holy Spirit upon you. As regards brotherly love, there is no need for me to write you. God himself has taught you to love one another, and this you are doing with respect to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. Yet we exhort you to even greater progress, brothers. Make it a point of honor to remain at peace and attend to your own affairs. Work with your hands as we directed you to do, so that you will give good example to outsiders and want for nothing. We would have you be clear about those who sleep in death, brothers; otherwise you might yield to grief, like those who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose, God will bring forth with him from the dead those also who have fallen asleep believing in him. We say to you, as if the Lord himself had said it, that we who live, who survive until his coming, will in no way have an advantage over those who have fallen asleep. No, the Lord himself will come down from heaven at the word of command, at the sound of the archangel’s voice and God’s trumpet; and those who have died in Christ will rise first. Then we, the living, the survivors, will be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Thenceforth we shall be with the Lord unceasingly. Console one another with this message. RESPONSORY 1 Thessalonians 4:15; Mark 13:27; see Matthew 24:31 At the word of command, at the call of the archangel’s voice and the sound of God’s trumpet, the Lord himself will come down from heaven; — he will gather his elect from the four winds, and from the depths of the earth to the heights of heaven. When the Son of Man comes, he will send forth his angels with a mighty trumpet blast. — He will gather his elect from the four winds, and from the depths of the earth to the heights of heaven. Second reading From the treatise Against Heresies by Saint Irenaeus, bishop In Christ are the first fruits of the resurrection The Word of God became man, the Son of God became the Son of Man, in order to unite man with himself and make him, by adoption, a son of God. Only by being united to one who is himself immune could we be preserved from corruption and death, and how else could this union have been achieved if he had not first become what we are? How else could what is corruptible and mortal in us have been swallowed up in his incorruptibility and immortality, to enable us to receive adoptive sonship? Therefore, the Son of God, our Lord, the Word of the Father, is also the son of man; he became the son of man by a human birth from Mary, a member of the human race. The Lord himself has given us a sign here below and in the heights of heaven, a sign that man did not ask for because he never dreamt that such a thing would be possible. A virgin was with a child and she bore a son who is called Emmanuel, which means “God with us.” He came down to the earth here below in search of the sheep that was lost, the sheep that was in fact his own creature, and then ascended into the heights of heaven to offer to the Father and entrust to his care the human race that he had found again. The Lord himself became the firstfruits of the resurrection of mankind, and when its time of punishment for disobedience is over the rest of the body, to which the whole human race belongs, will rise from the grave as the head has done. By God’s aid it will grow and be strengthened in all its joints and ligaments, each member having its own proper place in the body. There are many rooms in the Father’s house because the body has many members. God bore with man patiently when he fell because he foresaw the victory that would be his through the Word. Weakness allowed strength its full play, and so revealed God’s kindness and great power. RESPONSORY 1 Corinthians 15:20, 22, 21 Christ has been raised to life; he is the firstfruits of the harvest when all the dead shall rise. — Just as in Adam all men die, so in Christ all men will be brought to life. Death came through a man and through a man the resurrection of the dead has also come. — Just as in Adam all men die, so in Christ all men will be brought to life. CONCLUDING PRAYER Grant us, Lord our God, that we may honor you with all our mind, and love everyone in truth of heart. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. — Amen. Acclamation (at least in the communal celebration) Let us praise the Lord. — And give him thanks.

Feb 04, Invitatory for Wednesday of the 4th week of Ordinary Time

Lord, open my lips. — And my mouth will proclaim your praise. Ant. Cry out with joy to the Lord all the Earth, serve the Lord with gladness. Psalm 95 Come, let us sing to the Lord and shout with joy to the Rock who saves us. Let us approach him with praise and thanksgiving and sing joyful songs to the Lord. Ant. Cry out with joy to the Lord all the Earth, serve the Lord with gladness. The Lord is God, the mighty God, the great king over all the gods. He holds in his hands the depths of the earth and the highest mountains as well He made the sea; it belongs to him, the dry land, too, for it was formed by his hands. Ant. Cry out with joy to the Lord all the Earth, serve the Lord with gladness. Come, then, let us bow down and worship, bending the knee before the Lord, our maker, For he is our God and we are his people, the flock he shepherds. Ant. Cry out with joy to the Lord all the Earth, serve the Lord with gladness. Today, listen to the voice of the Lord: Do not grow stubborn, as your fathers did in the wilderness, when at Meriba and Massah they challenged me and provoked me, Although they had seen all of my works. Ant. Cry out with joy to the Lord all the Earth, serve the Lord with gladness. Forty years I endured that generation. I said, “They are a people whose hearts go astray and they do not know my ways.” So I swore in my anger, “They shall not enter into my rest.” Ant. Cry out with joy to the Lord all the Earth, serve the Lord with gladness. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: — as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Ant. Cry out with joy to the Lord all the Earth, serve the Lord with gladness.

Feb 04, Office of Readings for Wednesday of the 4th week of Ordinary Time

Ribbon Placement: Liturgy of the Hours Vol. III: Ordinary: 651 Proper of Seasons: 152 Psalter: Wednesday, Week IV, 1187 Office of Readings for Wednesday in Ordinary Time God, come to my assistance. — Lord, make haste to help me. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: — as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia. HYMN The King of love my shepherd is, Whose goodness fails me never. I nothing lack if I am His, and He is mine forever. Where streams of living water flow, my ransomed soul He's leading; and where the verdant pastures grow, with food celestial feeding. Perverse and foolish, oft I strayed, but yet in love He sought me; and on His shoulder gently laid, and home, rejoicing, brought me. In death's dark vale I fear no ill, with You, dear Lord, beside me; Your rod and staff my comfort still, Your cross before to guide me. You spread a table in my sight; Your unction grace bestowing; and oh, what transport of delight from Your pure chalice flowing! And so through all the length of days, Your goodness fails me never; Good Shepherd, may I sing Your praise within Your house forever. 𝄞"The King of Love My Shepherd Is" by Johanna Montealto • Musical Score [https://divineoffice.org/wp-content/uploads/King-of-Love-My-Shepherd-Is-The.pdf] • Title: The King of love my Shepherd is Author: H. W. Baker (1868) Tune: ST. COLUMBA, Ancient Irish melody; Recording copyright 2016 Surgeworks PSALMODY Ant. 1 Bless the Lord, my soul; never forget all he has done for you. Psalm 103 Praise for God’s tender compassion In the tender compassion of our God, the dawn from on high shall break upon us (see Luke 1:78). I My soul, give thanks to the Lord, all my being, bless his holy name. My soul, give thanks to the Lord and never forget all his blessings. It is he who forgives all your guilt, who heals every one of your ills, who redeems your life from the grave, who crowns you with love and compassion, who fills your life with good things, renewing your youth like an eagle’s. The Lord does deeds of justice, gives judgment for all who are oppressed. He made known his ways to Moses and his deeds to Israel’s sons. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: — as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Ant. Bless the Lord, my soul; never forget all he has done for you. Ant. 2 As a father is gentle with his children, so is the Lord with those who revere him. II The Lord is compassion and love, slow to anger and rich in mercy. His wrath will come to an end; he will not be angry for ever. He does not treat us according to our sins nor repay us according to our faults. For as the heavens are high above the earth so strong is his love for those who fear him. As far as the east is from the west so far does he remove our sins. As a father has compassion on his sons, the Lord has pity on those who fear him; for he knows of what we are made, he remembers that we are dust. As for man, his days are like grass; he flowers like the flower of the field; the wind blows and he is gone and his place never sees him again. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: — as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Ant. As a father is gentle with his children, so is the Lord with those who revere him. Ant. 3 Bless the Lord, all you his works! III But the love of the Lord is everlasting upon those who hold him in fear; his justice reaches out to children’s children when they keep his covenant in truth, when they keep his will in their mind. The Lord has set his sway in heaven and his kingdom is ruling over all. Give thanks to the Lord, all his angels, mighty in power, fulfilling his word, who heed the voice of his word. Give thanks to the Lord, all his hosts, his servants who do his will. Give thanks to the Lord, all his works, in every place where he rules. My soul, give thanks to the Lord! Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: — as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Psalm-prayer You have compassion for the sinner, Lord, as a Father has compassion for his children. Heal the weakness of your people and save us from lasting death that we may praise and glorify you forever. Ant. Bless the Lord, all you his works. Sacred Silence (indicated by a bell) A moment to reflect and receive in our hearts the full resonance of the voice of the Holy Spirit and to unite our personal prayer more closely with the word of God and public voice of the Church. Lord, make me understand the way of your precepts. — And I will marvel at your wisdom. READINGS First reading From the first letter to the Thessalonians 5:1-28 The life of the children of light As regards specific times and moments, brothers, we do not need to write you; you know very well that the day of the Lord is coming like a thief in the night. Just when people are saying, “Peace and security,” ruin will fall on them with the suddenness of pains overtaking a woman in labor, and there will be no escape. You are not in the dark, brothers, that the day should catch you off guard, like a thief. No, all of you are children of light and of the day. We belong neither to darkness nor to night. Therefore let us not be asleep like the rest, but awake and sober! Sleepers sleep by night and drunkards drink by night. We who live by day must be alert, putting on faith and love as a breastplate and the hope of salvation as a helmet. God has not destined us for wrath but for acquiring salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us, that all of us, whether awake or asleep, together might live with him. Therefore, comfort and upbuild one another, as indeed you are doing. We beg you, brothers, respect those among you whose task it is to exercise authority in the Lord and admonish you; esteem them with the greatest love because of their work. Remain at peace with one another. We exhort you to admonish the unruly; cheer the fainthearted; support the weak; be patient toward all. See that no one returns evil to any other; always seek one another’s good and, for that matter, the good of all. Rejoice always, never cease praying, render constant thanks; such is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not stifle the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Test everything; retain what is good. Avoid any semblance of evil. May the God of peace make you perfect in holiness. May he preserve you whole and entire, spirit, soul, and body, irreproachable at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls us is trustworthy, therefore he will do it. Brothers, pray for us too. Greet all the brothers with a holy embrace. I adjure you by the Lord that this letter be read to them all. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. RESPONSORY 1 Thessalonians 5:9; Colossians 1:13 God has not destined us to endure his wrath but to win salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, — who died for us, so that we might live in him. God rescued us from the power of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of his own beloved Son. — Who died for us, so that we might live in him. Second reading From the treatise On Spiritual Perfection by Diadochus of Photice, bishop The mind has a spiritual sense which teaches us to distinguish between good and evil The light of true knowledge makes it possible to discern without error the difference between good and evil. Then the path of justice, which leads to the Sun of Justice, brings the mind into the limitless light of knowledge, since it never fails to seek the love of God with all confidence. Therefore, we must maintain great stillness of mind, even in the midst of our struggles. We shall then be able to distinguish between the different types of thoughts that come to us: those that are good, those sent by God, we will treasure in our memory; those that are evil and inspired by the devil we will reject. A comparison with the sea may help us. A tranquil sea allows the fisherman to gaze right to its depths. No fish can hide there and escape his sight. The stormy sea, however, becomes murky when it is agitated by the winds. The very depths that it revealed in its placidness, the sea now hides. The skills of the fisherman are useless. Only the Holy Spirit can purify the mind: unless the strong man enters and robs the thief, the booty will not be recovered. So by every means, but especially by peace of soul, we must try to provide the Holy Spirit with a resting place. Then we shall have the light of knowledge shining within us at all times, and it will show up for what they are all the dark and hateful temptations that come from demons, and not only will it show them up: exposure to this holy and glorious light will also greatly diminish their power. This is why the Apostle says: Do not stifle the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of goodness: do not grieve him by your evil actions and thoughts, and so deprive yourself of the defense his light affords you. In his own being, which is eternal and life-giving, he is not stifled, but when he is grieved he turns away and leaves the mind in darkness, deprived of the light of knowledge. The mind is capable of tasting and distinguishing accurately whatever is presented to it. Just as when our health is good we can tell the difference between good and bad food by our bodily sense of taste and reach for what is wholesome, so when our mind is strong and free from all anxiety, it is able to taste the riches of divine consolation and to preserve, through love, the memory of this taste. This teaches us what is best with absolute certainty. As Saint Paul says: My prayer is that your love may increase more and more in knowledge and insight, and so enable you to choose what is best. RESPONSORY See Tobit 4:19; 14:8, 9 Bless the Lord God at all times; and ask him to guide you in his paths, — so that all you do may be rooted in him. Ask God to guide you that you may do what is pleasing to him in sincerity and with all your strength. — So that all you do may be rooted in him. CONCLUDING PRAYER Grant us, Lord our God, that we may honor you with all our mind, and love everyone in truth of heart. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. — Amen. Acclamation (at least in the communal celebration) Let us praise the Lord. — And give him thanks.

Feb 06, Invitatory for Friday of the 4th week of Ordinary Time

Lord, open my lips. — And my mouth will proclaim your praise. Ant. Come let us praise the Lord in whom is all our delight. Psalm 95 Come, let us sing to the Lord and shout with joy to the Rock who saves us. Let us approach him with praise and thanksgiving and sing joyful songs to the Lord. Ant. Come let us praise the Lord in whom is all our delight. The Lord is God, the mighty God, the great king over all the gods. He holds in his hands the depths of the earth and the highest mountains as well He made the sea; it belongs to him, the dry land, too, for it was formed by his hands. Ant. Come let us praise the Lord in whom is all our delight. Come, then, let us bow down and worship, bending the knee before the Lord, our maker, For he is our God and we are his people, the flock he shepherds. Ant. Come let us praise the Lord in whom is all our delight. Today, listen to the voice of the Lord: Do not grow stubborn, as your fathers did in the wilderness, when at Meriba and Massah they challenged me and provoked me, Although they had seen all of my works. Ant. Come let us praise the Lord in whom is all our delight. Forty years I endured that generation. I said, “They are a people whose hearts go astray and they do not know my ways.” So I swore in my anger, “They shall not enter into my rest.” Ant. Come let us praise the Lord in whom is all our delight. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: — as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Ant. Come let us praise the Lord in whom is all our delight.